Police Horrified When They Learn Why Parents Flew To Florida To Beat Daughter-In-Law

By: Mackenzie Wright | September 13, 2018

People may move to a new country, but that doesn't always mean they've made a break with their culture. Not everyone assimilates.

In one case, a husband and wife from India were living in the U.S. when the wife reportedly disrespected her husband. The husband's parents flew in all the way from India to dole out some old-country punishments. Unfortunately, that behavior doesn't fly in the U.S.

Florida police rescued the Indian woman from her home on Saturday after she called them to report that her in-laws beat her up. Silky Gaind, a 33-year-old woman who was living in Riverview with her 33-year-old husband, Devbir Kalsi, reported that her husband called his parents in after he claimed that she was disobedient.

Devbir called in 67-year-old Jasbir and 61-year-old Bhupinder Kalsi to help 'counsel and discipline his wife for being disobedient', according to police. The in-laws are alleged to have battered their daughter-in-law 'repeatedly and forcefully', including at one point when she was holding the couple's one-year-old infant daughter.

The baby girl, according to reports, was accidentally struck in the face during the attack.

According to Silky, her father-in-law threatened her with a knife. After the attack, she was locked away in a room and they took away her cell phone. She was unable to leave.

Silky finally screamed for help, and enforcement officers came to investigate. At first, the deputy arrived at the residence and knocked repeatedly. No one answered. Soon after, Silky came running to the door and asked the deputy to help her and her baby.

Devbir attempted to close the door on police and keep them out. The deputy put him in handcuffs, and then his parents confronted the deputy. They, too, were arrested.

"Awful, nobody should go through that," said a neighbor to Fox 13. "It really is heartbreaking. There's a brand-new baby. But who beats their wife up and his mother and dad help him? Who does that?"

The husband and his parents are currently being held without bond at the Hillsborough County Jail. They've been charged with domestic violence and failure to report child abuse.

Jasbir was also charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. They could all face deportation back to India.

Silky and the baby have been moved to a safe place, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office.

In India, it's very common for the husband's family to get in on domestic violence. Wives are often mistreated and beaten when it is believed that they're not respectful enough, doing a good enough job with their duties, or, in many cases, because their parents aren't continuing to provide a sizable enough dowry.

Even though abuse is also illegal in India, it’s so embedded in the culture that it usually goes without being reported, or offenders are given a mere slap on the wrist. Witnesses believe that what goes on in a family is none of their business, and many wives believe that they don’t even have a right to complain.